India wants to grow like China, but the chances of this are remote

Why can’t India simply accept that it can’t compete against China in development?

India wants to grow like China, but the chances of this are remoteThis refers to the editorial The tide seems to be turning (Our Take, May 17). Why can’t India simply accept that it can’t compete against China in development? The government keeps shifting its focus between industrial and agricultural growth, thereby not giving enough attention to either. India and China are similar in more ways than one. New Delhi could have followed in the footsteps of Beijing vis-à-vis industrial development. But we have not been able to do so, thanks to widespread corruption and a dearth of strict policies. A prime example of this is the case of Intel Corporation, which wasn’t given permission to invest in India allegedly because it didn’t bribe the right people in the government. As a result, we lost investment worth $2 billion to Vietnam. Therefore, we must accept the bitter truth that India won’t be able to take advantage of the slackening demand for cheap Chinese wares.Shadi Katyal, via email

A dearth of mirth in our MPsThe editorial Not good for a few laughs (Our Take, May 16) rightly advises our MPs to use their power and time to debate on the various bills pending in Parliament rather than protesting over a cartoon which has been around for many years. Our politicians lack a healthy sense of humour and by protesting over the cartoon of BR Ambedkar, they are indeed making poor caricatures of themselves.SC Vaid, via email

It’s working to their advantageThis refers to the report Naxals hijack train, place 1-kg bomb on engine (May 16). The Maoists are spreading violence because they realise that the State is too weak to take any action against them. The Centre and states can’t play the blame game on such an important issue. They must come together to fight the Maoists.RJ Khurana, Bhopal